The Journey to Self Discovery

If you’re feeling empty, you’re not alone. Many of us feel empty in different ways. For instance, you might feel empty because something is missing in your life, This might be emptiness from a loved one moving or passing away. You're stuck in a vicious cycle. You're down, depressed (not necessarily clinically). Because of that, you constantly feel unmotivated, tired, lethargic. You don't have the energy to get out there and try new things. Staying home doing nothing just makes your mood worse and worse. You need to find a way to break the cycle. You have to recognize that if you don't make a very serious effort then things are just going to get worse. The good news is I think that you already realize this. You know that you have a problem. You're looking for help. The other key is that you have to know beyond a doubt that you (and you alone) have the power to make things better. Or the emptiness might stem from slowly abandoning ourselves, not listening...

From Silence to Strength: Reclaiming Your Life After Abuse I was only five years old when it began – just a child. I was an expressive, lively, yet serious little girl who loved to laugh and sing around the house. To him, however, I was merely an object for his depraved desires. He always had his eyes on me, and what I now refer to as "the incidents" became a disturbing routine. It became so routine, in fact, that I believed it was normal. He touched me at every opportunity he had. He didn’t care the time of day or who else was home; all he needed was a five-minute window, and he took advantage. Afterward, I always felt dirty, scrubbing my skin raw and painful with a Brillo pad in the shower. I knew what he was doing was wrong, but he would always look me directly in the eyes and tell me never to tell. I kept his secret, even when my spirit longed to speak, silenced by the deceptive allure of the gifts I received. Then one day, a few months before my ninth birthday, I final...